


Shouldn't have let her go

by intern2 (hikikumori)



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, Break Up, F/M, Past Relationship(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:59:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25286473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hikikumori/pseuds/intern2
Summary: A story of a love that could have been. No Magic AU Gruvia/Lyvia
Relationships: Gray Fullbuster/Juvia Lockser, Juvia Lockser/Lyon Vastia
Comments: 1
Kudos: 40





	Shouldn't have let her go

The first time they met, she was performing onstage - the grand spotlights highlighting the curly blue tresses that she held in a neat bun atop her head. The solo _prima ballerina_ of a tragedy, beautiful in her pain, confident in her vulnerability - the duckling learning to blossom into a swan.

He thought she was the most enchanting dancer he had ever seen.

She saw him in the crowd of thousands and thought herself enraptured by his dark, hypnotizing eyes.

Moments after the performance, he decided to take a chance. He approached her dressing room, hands deep in his pockets, cheeks the color of roses, and asked her if she wanted a cup of coffee at a nearby café. She, shell-shocked that he would ask, responded with a shy 'yes'. They spent the night talking, finding out each other's quirks and loving them.

He thinks her to be interesting.

She finds herself a reason to smile.

Like magnets they collided in a fiery of passion, falling hard and fast and with wild abandon.

She brought light and love into his life, an unbridled beacon of joy who cast light in his otherwise mundane existence. He basked in her passion, soaked in her warmth, in her single-minded way of loving, and saw in himself a better man. 

He brought to her stability and security, the kind of steady assurance she never knew she sorely craved. Unshakable in his values and as clear as the ice he sculpts, he gave her a newfound sense of discipline and inner strength. 

He thought of her as someone to protect.

She thought him someone to chase her eternal rain away.

It was slow at first, but eventually he got sick of her; how clingy she was, how embarrassing she could get, and how jealous she was of his friends. Fights became frequent and he began to avoid her, a lifetime of avoidance discouraging him from confrontation, until he finally reached his breaking point. On their anniversary, when she did one more –nearly destructive- act of jealousy, his anger exploded. In front of everyone, holding his distressed blonde friend, he told her to leave, to stop, and to never see him again. Stunned silent, she left the room without another word, the key to their apartment left on his doorstep the next morning, with a simple "Sorry" written on the card attached.

She felt more and more insecure every passing day. Declarations of love rebuffed, hugs and kisses ignored, longer breaks between messages, and dates forgotten completely, leaving her to eat alone at a table meant for two. Attempts at reconciliation met with cold shoulders and even colder words. Every day, she would wonder if there was another woman that he cared for, or if by some chance he would get sick of her the minute she put her guard down. She didn't realize until it was too late that her insecurities had, instead, driven him away. At his request, she took all the memories that they had and burned it to the ground. 

He thought he could have handled it a bit better.

She felt broken.

He hadn't seen her in a while, or even had the slightest contact with her since their last fight. Which was good, he supposed. All that time he was with her and her insanity; he had been waiting for this… right? Nothing in this world was holding him back anymore… Then why was he still clutching his phone like a lifeline?

She avoided him as much as possible, respecting his wishes to never see her again. She stayed with the black-haired man she called a brother some towns away. His crimson eyes screamed at her to let him kill the one who broke her heart, but she told him no. It was her fault, she explained and she should deal with the fact that she had chased the one she loved away.

He was confused.

She was dying inside.

A few months after that, he began to date the beautiful brunette that he called his friend. It was fun, for a while. But he never understood why her intoxicated smiles never made his heart stutter the same way it did with _her_ , or why her fun, drunken actions didn't fill in the void that was left behind. He guessed that she just had a lot to measure up to.

She was doing a favor for a pink-haired friend when she met him. This time, instead of dancing alone on a stark black stage, she was in a dazzling blue ball gown singing for her friend's birthday. After her last note was sung, rather brilliantly, one might add, he immediately made his way to her side and pleaded for a dance. She took one look at the white-haired stranger decided to take his hand.

He started to regret.

She started to heal.

He found an old picture of them as he was cleaning up one day, one that he supposed she forgot to take with her when he told her to get out of his life. He looked closely at his own smile in the photograph and wondered when was the last time he was that happy.

She warned him that he would get sick of her, that he would leave her broken like the last man who held her heart. He smiled gently, held her hands, and swore on his life that he would never stop loving her. She cried and held him tight that night, fearing that her last hope would slip away if she didn't. The rain stopped once more.

He missed her more and more.

She learned to trust love again.

His friends started to worry, even the more oblivious ones. They told him that he hasn't been the same since the infamous break-up with the girl they were also fond of. They told him to search for her, to try to contact her, to start anew, because if anyone's love story could work out, it was theirs. He believed them.

She woke up one day to find the most precious thing left accidentally on their dresser, almost immediately before her love, red and stuttering, grabbed it from her hands and tried to hide it as best he could. In between her melodious laughs, he could barely hear the word 'Yes'.

He was filled with resolve.

She couldn't be more content.

He was just about to search for her when an invite was slipped under his door. Curious, he looked at the name of his brother's bride and felt his heart shatter.

She saw the blonde-haired socialite just as the latter passed by the bridal store. Waving happily, the bluenette rushed out, gown gleaming, and handed her an invitation. As she was ushered back by her soon- to- be sisters-in-law, she failed to see the look of despair upon the blonde's face when she realized it was already too late.

He decided to go, out of respect for his brother.

She never looked back.

The wedding wasn't too extravagant, he supposed, as he stood beside the nervous groom-to-be, but nowhere near plain either. Between his extravagant sisters and her, they managed to pull off a beautiful Snow-and-Water themed wedding that all the other guests claimed suited them perfectly. The ice sculptor couldn't help but feel that this could have been his. 

Everything was going according to plan. All the invitees were here, the decorations were hung, the dress was ready, the bridesmaids and best men were selected, and everyone was happy for them. She wasn't nervous or doubtful, but rather, excited that she would finally, finally, get her happy ending with a man that she truly loved.

This should have been his.

She was ready for the rest of her life.

As soon as the wedding march started, he snapped his head to look down the aisle, where he saw the most breathtaking thing in his entire life. Her beautiful oceanic hair cascaded down in ethereal waves, adorned with a light veil with white pearls. Her dress was stunning to say the least, trimmed with white lace and glowing with shimmering diamonds and sapphires. Lead down the aisle by a man of glaring crimson eyes (ones that tried to burn him at a glance), she looked like a fairy tale princess come to life. But he was no longer her prince.

Nothing mattered to her beyond the man at the altar, the man who chased away the fear of being alone, the fear of never being good enough. She found herself grateful for the best man, the one who broke her heart. She still loved him, yes, but it was a love ill-timed and ill fated, full of regrets and insecurities. And at this moment, she decided to finally, finally let him go.

He wished for another chance.

She finally gave her heart away.

When it was time for them to kiss, he turned away, the jealousy almost physically making him sick. He caught sight of his friends' pitying eyes on him and closed his eyes. He couldn't take that either.

When they kissed, her soul felt free. Never again would she be alone, crying for company or someone to talk to. Her white haired prince saved her, and he would never leave her side.

She was finally happy.

He shouldn't have let her go.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So this was actually a story I wrote on fanfiction.net when I was like 17 (ish)? I just decided to re-upload it (with edits). Hope you like it!


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